Jo Shapcott - Erebus

4 Extra Debut. Why did the 1845 mission led by John Franklin to sail the Northwest Passage fail? A poetic look at events. With Russell Boulter.

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A poetic drama by Jo Shapcott about the search for the North-West Passage. The 1845 expedition led by John Franklin was lost in the ice and never returned. The mysteries remain. In the intervening time rescue and, subsequently, archaeological expeditions have gone in search of clues as to what went wrong. Fragments of evidence have been found in the ice and latterly frozen bodies too. Why did the mission fail, did the sailors resort to eating their colleagues, were there encounters with Inuit and if so what did the local ice-experts make of the men who carried an organ and a library of books with them as they struggled from their ice-bound ships looking for help?

With Russell Boulter, David Birrell, Peter Marinker, John Mackay and Jasmine Hyde. Music by Jon Nicholls. Produced by Tim Dee.